toledoblade.com --

LUCASVILLE, Ohio — Gregory Bryant-Bey claimed he was framed by investigators and prosecutors, and condemned his trial lawyers just moments before being administered the chemicals that ended his life, making him the 28th man executed in the state since 1999.

Reading from a statement that was held before him as he was restrained by four straps to the table, Bryant-Bey said he was a "framed man" and that his 1993 conviction was based on "false evidence." Speaking calmly throughout the nearly three minute statement, Bryant-Bey began his statement questioning, "How can a framed man be mad at anyone but himself?"

He ended his statement by saying, "My heart calls out to God, ‘Come get me on the double.’"

FINAL STATEMENT

Partial transcript of Bryant-Bey's statement:

My heart was seeking the hope of light that a soul calls on in time of trouble and in the earthly battle our God digs us out of the rubble. My heart was left with Love from above. I touched my son, my daughters, my nieces, my cousin, my sisters and my brother, my grandchildren and my new friends and others. My heart calls out to God "Come get me on the double."

Prior to making his statement, Bryant-Bey spoke through the glass to his brother, Elton Williamson, who held up a fist in support. Just prior to laying his head down for a final time, he asked for the microphone again telling his family that he was "wiggling" his arm because he had a bad arm and that he was kind of uncomfortable.

Throughout his statement, he did not admit to the murder of Dale "Pinky" Pinkelman and did not apologize to the two family members who were present. Although most often looking through the glass at his brother and attorneys, he did at one time look toward Mr. Pinkelman’s sons-in-laws, Jay Clark and Stephen Ujvagi.

The men remained stone-faced throughout the procedure.

With the prison warden and an officer nearby, a trio of chemicals sedated him and then paralyzed him and induced cardiac arrest. His eyes remained open.

At 10:39 a.m., the curtain was pulled to separate the room from the witnesses.

A moment later, the curtain was pulled back again and Warden Phillip Kerns declared Bryant-Bey dead. The time of death was 10:41 a.m.

Mr. Williamson, who linked hands with Ohio Public Defender Rachel Troutman, began sobbing.

Bryant-Bey spent the final hours of his life visiting with numerous relatives, talking with his son for nearly two hours on the telephone, and writing notes to unknown persons.

All court appeals had been exhausted and Gov. Ted Strickland had denied his request to commute his sentence to life in prison without parole. Bryant-Bey, 53, was the 28th inmate executed since Ohio resumed carrying out the death penalty in 1999.

On Tuesday night, he visited personally with family members in his cell at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility Tuesday night. He retired for the night at midnight, falling asleep at about 1:46 a.m.

"This has been a very emotional time for his family members, in particular his daughters," said Andrea Carson, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. "Last night was very emotional for them as well as his sister. His brothers, I think it would be fair to say, have been a source of strength for the rest of the family."

She described Bryant-Bey as continuing to be "laid back" and "easygoing."

He was awakened shortly after 6 a.m. He declined the breakfast that was offered to all the other inmates and resumed meeting with members of his family. This time, however, they were separated, able only to touch hands through a hole in his cell door.

The U.S. Supreme Court had turned down his final appeal Tuesday night.

Bryant-Bey was sentenced to death for the Aug. 9, 1992 stabbing of Mr. Pinkelman, owner of Pinky’s Collectibles in the New Towne Square strip mall in North Toledo. He was also sentenced to life in prison for the similar robbery murder nearly three months later of Pete Mihas, owner of The Board Room restaurant in downtown Toledo.

Bryant-Bey spends final night with family before today's execution

From earlier editions of toledoblade.com.

LUCASVILLE, Ohio — Gregory Bryant-Bey spent what was probably the last night of his life visiting with two dozen family members as the state prepared to execute him Wednesday morning for the 1992 robbery murder of North Toledo merchant Dale Pinkelman.

With all court appeals exhausted and no mercy coming from the governor, there appeared to be nothing standing in the way of Ohio executing its 28th inmate since it resumed carrying out the death penalty in 1999.

After visiting personally with family members in his cell at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility Tuesday night and then talking to his son on the telephone for nearly two hours, Bryant-Bey wrote notes to unknown persons at a desk before retiring for the night about midnight and falling asleep about 1:46 a.m.

"This has been a very emotional time for his family members, in particular his daughters," said Andrea Carson, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. "Last night was very emotional for them as well as his sister. His brothers, I think it would be fair to say, have been a source of strength for the rest of the family."

She described Bryant-Bey, 53, as continuing to be "laid back" and "easygoing."

He was awakened shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday. He declined the breakfast that was offered to all the other inmates and was expected to continue meeting with members of his family. This time, however, they would be separated, able only to touch hands through a hole in his cell door.

He is scheduled to die by an injection of three drugs designed to first sedate him and then paralyze him and shut down his heart. The process is expected to begin at 10 a.m.

The U.S. Supreme Court turned down his final appeal Tuesday night and no new litigation was pending Wednesday morning that could stop the execution. Gov. Ted Strickland Tuesday rejected his petition for clemency.

Bryant-Bey was sentenced to death for the Aug. 9, 1992 stabbing of Mr. Pinkelman, owner of Pinky’s Collectibles in the New Towne Square strip mall in North Toledo. He was also sentenced to life in prison for the similar robbery murder nearly three months later of Pete Mihas, owner of The Board Room restaurant in downtown Toledo.

Two of Mr. Pinkelman’s sons-in-law, Jay Clark and Stephen Ujvagi, will serve as victim witnesses. Bryant-Bey’s requested witnesses will be Elton Williamson, his brother from Detroit; Rachel Troutman, an assistant state public defender; and Carol Wright, of the federal public defender’s office.

Contact Jim Provance at: jprovance@theblade.com, or 614-221-0496.

Strickland rejects Toledo native's bid to delay execution

From earlier editions of toledoblade.com.

LUCASVILLE, Ohio - Condemned inmate Gregory Bryant-Bey last night met with members of his family and ate a final meal of fried chicken and cherry pie as he prepared for the likelihood he would be put to death this morning for the 1992 murder of a North Toledo merchant.

Gov. Ted Strickland yesterday denied the Toledo native's petition for clemency, agreeing with the Ohio Parole Board's unanimous recommendation that the case doesn't warrant mercy.

"We're very disappointed that he did not either grant clemency or at least a reprieve so we could send additional information for his consideration," said David Stebbins, Bryant-Bey's assistant federal public defender.

"There are some issues with Mr. Bryant-Bey's mental health and developmental problems from childhood that were not properly presented to the parole board," Mr. Stebbins said. "The parole board drew some conclusions that were just plain wrong."

The U.S. Supreme Court last night refused to hear an appeal of two lower court decisions refusing to grant him extra time. Both lower courts punted to Mr. Strickland as the final arbiter of Bryant-Bey's fate.

Bryant-Bey was sentenced to death for the Aug. 9, 1992, stabbing of Dale Pinkelman, owner of Pinky's Collectibles in the New Towne Square mall in North

Toledo. He was also sentenced to life in prison for the similar robbery-murder nearly three months later of Pete Mihas, owner of The Board Room restaurant in downtown Toledo.

Bryant-Bey is scheduled to be executed at 10 a.m. today by the injection of three drugs designed to sedate him and then induce paralysis and cardiac arrest.

Bryant-Bey arrived at 9:42 a.m. yesterday at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, roughly 250 miles from death row at Ohio State Penitentiary near Youngstown.

Andrea Carson, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said last night he recognized some of the guards from when he was housed at Lucasville in the early 1990s before death row was moved.

"His mood has been very easygoing and jovial," she said. "He's been talking with the [prison] team. He's in a very upbeat mood. Some are very quiet and don't want to talk at all, but he's been talking since he got here."

He met with a sister, Darlene Hines, and her husband, Milton; a brother, Elton Williamson and his wife, Gwendolyn; the mother of his two children, Charlene Johnson, and several representatives of the state and federal public defenders' offices.

For his "special meal," he requested and ate three pieces of fried chicken, potato salad, spaghetti with meat sauce, cherry pie with strawberry ice cream, and Pepsi. He will have the opportunity to eat the same breakfast as the other inmates this morning - scrambled eggs, bran flakes, bread, jelly, coffee, and fruit juice.

Ms. Carson said Bryant-Bey hadn't decided whether he would make a final statement before the witnesses.

"He's thinking about it," she said. "It's one of the most difficult things for the inmate to decide."

Two of Mr. Pinkelman's sons-in-law, Jay Clark and Stephen Ujvagi - nephew of State Rep. Peter Ujvagi (D., Toledo) - plan to serve as witnesses in case Bryant-Bey should address the victim's family. They offered the third vacant seat to the Mihas family, but the family declined.

"I'd like to see some finality to the whole thing," Mr. Clark said in a recent interview. "I was there for the last five or six years of Dale's life. I was there the night before and the day when he was found. I was there when the detective showed up at the door. I was there for the trials, so I guess I should be there for the execution."

Bryant-Bey's requested witnesses are his brother Mr. Williamson, Rachel Troutman, an assistant state public defender, and Carol Wright, of the federal public defender's office.

Mr. Stebbins has argued that Bryant-Bey's clemency hearing last month before the parole board was handled by a state assistant public defender who'd just been assigned the case 10 days earlier. However, the state office had been working on the case since June. A series of internal personnel changes had resulted in the case being passed off between attorneys.

The clemency petition did not argue that Bryant-Bey was innocent of Mr. Pinkelman's murder, but the late court filings noted that he insists he is. He had admitted to killing Mr. Mihas and had apologized to his family before the jury returned a death sentence 15 years ago.

The clemency petition submitted to Mr. Strickland had argued that Bryant-Bey had been permanently scarred when he was abandoned at the age of 2 by his Toledo mother and left in the hands of an abusive New York godmother.

Although he was returned to Toledo at age 13 to live with half-siblings he'd never met, Bryant-Bey eventually turned to drugs and crime, living sporadically on the streets.

Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey confirmed that the materials reviewed by the governor's office included a petition signed by 574 Toledo-area residents in support of clemency that arrived yesterday.

Contact Jim Provance at:
jprovance@theblade.com
or 614-221-0496.

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